Those are the times when you have to tell your clients "you need to ask for things like that with time", so they can understand this is an actual production job that not everything is invented.

The problem I have seen by facilitating things like that at the last time to the client is that they won't respect your preproduction time. I mean, you have to charge and they know that has a cost but they won't tell you.

I have seen so many VJs facilitating so much material and hardware for free when a production company charges the actual value of the hardare renting it and the client pay for it. For example:

I was involved in a production a few months ago. We had a meeting with the client, the show producers, the VJs and the video suppliers. The video supliers were renting a video matrix router 8x8 for $1500, that was the actual cost of one single VJs. I had my matrix router 16x16 plus two V4s and my computers and the client wanted to pay me the same $1500. I told them "give me the extra $1500 and I do that same job", the client was confuse because there is a paradigma in the industry that VJS DOES NOT MAKE THAT MUCH MONEY.

Of course I turned down that job but what you are doing ristuuk is the same thing, you are spoiling the client and they will loose the respect on you, I mean, the value of your work.

Is an actual art to balance service with rates being a VJ, 90% of my time is spent on that, in the understanding on how the industry behave.

Of course I turned down that job but what you are doing ristuuk is the same thing, you are spoiling the client and they will loose the respect on you, I mean, the value of your work.

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Rei, so you are saying that if a client doesnt tell you exactly what he wants the first time then he can think twice about asking you for stuff at a later date. You are a service provider, and sometimes you have to bend a bit, thats part of life. But to say that he should turn down a job because of it is bull. I have a graphic design company and I've won business becuase I turned a job around at last minutes notice. If anything I got more "respect" for doing it.

ristuuk seems to be getting on ok in the video business he has and I doubt he's being walked over by his client.

interesting when Rei says "paradigm in the industry that VJS DOES NOT MAKE THAT MUCH MONEY." haha... yeah, a promoter who is a friend had a spin-out when i texted him the price for the new years eve gig. i r3ckon that even tho he prefers my vj-ing, his mindset is that 'no, the vj will not be paid more than such-and-such'.

promoters love it when you are cool and say sure no problem.
"can you do the screens outside and the screens inside with different content?" 'sure no problem' "thanks bro you rock"..
er... haha actually come to think of it, they never paid me properly for the two-screen gig, and i am only just now billing them for that previous non-pay.

but the thing of content... that is different imho. the promoter should be able to ask for extra clip ideas as they think of it, because that is sort of like a painter being questioned about colours, rather than being asked to do three 15 metre canvas pieces instead of two ten metre artworks.

I see a lot of of this short notice urgent needs? Need and urgent imply you have already agree with the client you will do what they asked with no notice.

Why agree to getting special content at very, very short notice for a show?

It seems foolish and unprofessional to me.

Also I feel that agreeing to changes like this before a show is only going to set precidence for clients to walk all over you.

I understand the need to bend a bit for a client as the customer is always right but why did they suddenly need this clip now if they hadn't thought about it before how "urgent" can it be. What will happen if you don't get the urgent clip, will they not book you?

Whenever I see any thread for urgent clips I just presume the VJ is getting used.

to get the effect you could always open up After Effects, import an audioo file, drag it to the timeline, create a new 'solid' to have a layer to apply an effect to, and apply the Audio Waveform effect/s ... check it out its cool. make sure the audio track is similar in style to what may be played on the night, and export your animation. play it at the gig and everyone will think it is actually triggering off the beat, if u r lucky.

Whenever I see any thread for urgent clips I just presume the VJ is getting used.

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dude you just reminded me of a time when being involved with a couple of creative directors. they would do this bluster thing of 'urgent urgent, doesent matter about quality just something quick is that cool, come on just lets get it happening'. getting something for nothing via urgency vibe. i eventually saw what was going on.

but the thing is, re/ a clip... man, a vj uses multitudes of clips in a performance. dozens! very many! what's one more? i do understand and appreciate the point that is being made. just wondering how to approach this sort of thing.
how far does one go in assigning value to content, rather than the flow of the entire show - surely the 'flow' is where the real value is, and specific clips are mere building blocks?

but the thing is, re/ a clip... man, a vj uses multitudes of clips in a performance. dozens! very many! what's one more? i do understand and appreciate the point that is being made. just wondering how to approach this sort of thing.
how far does one go in assigning value to content, rather than the flow of the entire show - surely the 'flow' is where the real value is, and specific clips are mere building blocks?

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Well it is clip that the VJ has not got (and has implied that he has promised it too) and will have to source it or create it himself.

Just because the VJ has a lot of clips doesn't mean that custom content (which what this request is) is free.

I think the content is the key it makes the show not the other way around. Than again I make all my own content nad most of what I do is custom work. If I can do it easily then fine I agree to it even at short notice but if it is more difficult then I would not agree to say I could get it done in short timeframes.

I dont need a lecture on production ect.
I am full time in this game , i have a background in visuals (or vjing!!) but work in high end corporate field now.

this clip is not for a money making venture .; another company who are a big lighting company over here have just taken stock of the new hippo and want to demo it. They are a lighting company as stated ...not video...and for what ever reason they want that certain clip.

they asked me as a favour if I could obtain it for them, I am more than capable of making one myself but do not have the time as im up to my eyes in it! so thats why i asked here!

Like I said its a favour to another company....means Ill get a favour back someday, probably a play on the hippo.

If there is a throwback to the vj community them im sure it will be in the form that they will want to source clips instead of using the hippos stock library and that would be paid work for someone.